While Control4 has always been able to handle large projects, this would count among its largest. Because of the size, there was some concern it would stress the capabilities of the flagship Control4 processor, so there was talk about scaling the system back. “We went to the people we knew at Control 4 and said, ‘Cost is not the issue here. Build me something,” Williams said. 

Which was when Robert Melendez, regional manager for both Control 4 and Triad Speakers, got involved. “Engineers had been working on something capable of handling truly large projects,” he explained. “As this one started coming together, we realized we needed to make that available as a product, so a lot of effort went into getting it ready for this home specifically.”

Beyond having the power to handle the massive number of systems in a home this big, the processor also needed to include next-level redundancy and the ability to automatically and seamlessly switch to the backup system to ensure the system had 100% uptime. The resulting product—the CA-10 controller—features improved design and build-quality along with redundancy for all of the controller’s functions: Power, network, disc storage, and fans. 

The entire home has an enormous number of features that all coincide and work seamlessly together with the theater, but one of the theater’s biggest tricks is auto-magically transforming from a beautiful open space to a reference-quality viewing and listening environment at the touch of a button. 

“You go in the room and it’s an open-landscape form,” Melendez noted, “and then you hit a button and the curtains cover the walls, and you get that amazing acoustic space.”

The Control4 system ensures the proper audio calibration setting is selected for the Trinnov system. “The system knows when the theater drapes are open or closed,” Williams explained, “and sends a signal to the Trinnov Audio processor to change its surround sound parameters accordingly.”

Williams had two other mandates for the control system: Ease of use for the homeowner and not overcomplicating it. “It’s as if we’re the valet for their new Bentley. ‘Here’s the keys—I trust you to do what you do. I don’t need to know all the working parts.’” he said. “They just want to go down and when they hit ‘Watch DirecTV’ have the TV and the sports channel come on, and they want it to sound good. They don’t care about all the backbone to it. Ease of use is really what it comes down to.”

Also important was the system’s longevity and serviceability. “I can do more with the Control 4 platform because it’s being more widely accepted by third-party companies, so there are a lot of companies designing and developing drivers for it,” Williams commented, “And unlike with other automation systems, with Control 4, the programming resides on the platform locally. So if anything would happen to me, a dealer can log in and has all the information and all the programming right there.”

One of the big updates with Control4’s latest Smart Home Operating System, OS3, was allowing the homeowner to more easily customize the interface, such as by being able to add smart-home scenes or favorites icons or tasks to the control screens, making it more user-friendly. “As an integrator, we don’t make good mind readers. I could put in the best system in the world but I don’t know how the homeowner is going to end up using it. I can only use what I know and my best judgment to do that, but they’ve given the end user a lot of flexibility, where he doesn’t have to call me.”

Ultimately it comes down to one thing for Williams: Reliability. “The homeowner doesn’t care how it works, it just has to work,” he stressed. “In my experience, Control 4 offers many plusses. I mean, this system, the house that we did, I’m not sure other companies even have the equipment to do it.”